Cleaning apparatus, image forming apparatus, and toner crushing member

An image forming apparatus that includes a photoreceptor drum and a cleaning apparatus, the cleaning apparatus being configured to clean an outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum, wherein:

• the cleaning apparatus includes
• a blade configured to separate toner remaining on the outer peripheral surface of a rotating photoreceptor drum from the photoreceptor drum by slidably contacting the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum,
• a screw configured to convey the toner separated from the photoreceptor drum by the blade by rotating around an axis parallel to the rotational axis of the photoreceptor drum, the screw rotating in the direction reverse to the rotational direction of the photoreceptor drum,
• a toner crushing member disposed between the screw and the blade, for breaking up toner accumulation therebetween, and
• a casing that houses the screw and the toner crushing member;
• the toner crushing member is folded over itself such as to be constituted by a first part and a second part, with a base-end side of the first part being secured to the casing, and with the second part being folded back along a distal-end side of the first part and being of length such that its distal-end side is farther from the screw than the base-end side of the first part, the toner crushing member being disposed and configured such that by the screw being in contact with toner crushing member from the base-end side to the distal-end side of the first part, the distal end side of the second part is swung between the blade and the screw.

A toner crushing member employable in a cleaning apparatus, wherein:

• the cleaning apparatus includes
• a blade configured to separate toner remaining on an outer peripheral surface of a rotating photoreceptor drum from the photoreceptor drum by slidably contacting the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum,
• a screw configured to convey the toner separated from the photoreceptor drum by the blade, by rotating around an axis parallel to the rotational axis of the photoreceptor drum in a direction reverse to that of the photoreceptor drum, and
• a casing that houses the screw;
• the toner crushing member is disposed in association with the screw such as to break up toner accumulation between the screw and the blade, by being swung by the screw rotating;
• the toner crushing member is folded over itself such as to be constituted by a first part and a second part, with a base-end side of the first part being secured to the casing, with the second part being folded back along a distal-end side of the first part, such that a distal-end side of the second part swings between the blade and the screw, in association with the rotation of the screw, and with the second part being of length such that its distal-end side is farther from the screw than the base-end side of the first part.